Noteworthy individual's educational journey began at George School in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he received pre-college training. He then proceeded to Williams College, where he was part of a class of 50, majoring in music as an undergraduate. During his time at Williams College, he made a notable impact by writing the book, lyrics, and music for two college shows based on the adaptation of 'Beggar on Horseback'. His academic achievements earned him the prestigious Hutchinson prize, which enabled him to study music composition for two years.
He commenced his professional writing career in 1953, co-authoring the script for the television series 'Topper'. The following year, he wrote all the music and lyrics for 'Saturday Night'. In 1955, he began working on the iconic musical 'West Side Story', concurrently penning scripts for 'The Last Word' for Columbia Broadcasting and creating background music for 'The Party Girls of Summer'.
For the film adaptation of 'West Side Story', he crafted new and powerful lyrics for the 'America' sequence, which constitutes the only significant alteration from the original Broadway production.
